Rolex GMT-Master 1675 'Mk2'

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The GMT-Master 1675 with blue/red Pepsi bezel is one the most enigmatic watches from Rolex’ vast catalogue.

This ref. 1675 from 1972 has everything we love about vintage GMTs. The aluminum Pepsi bezel is nicely faded to a degraded blue and light pink colour. The matte black dial has turned a lovely anthracite color. The painted tritium hour markers are in flawless condition, having attained a warm creamy tone, which nicely matches the tritium in the handset.

This reference 1675 GMTs come with a so-called ‘Mark 2’ dial. The distinguishing characteristic of these dials is that the letters ‘E’ and ‘L’ in ‘ROLEX’ are spaced closer to each other than the other letters (but not as close as the preceding Mark 1 dials). Moreover, the Mk II dials feature flat lume markers, in contrast to the thick and waffled lume in earlier dials.

Tool watches like the GMT often experience quite a bit of wear over the years and as a result are over polished quite a bit as well. The 40 mm steel case on this 1675 is still very thick and sharp, also thanks to a proper polishing job on the top-surface of the lugs which was done by the previous owner’s watchmaker. The accompanying Oyster bracelet is in great condition as well, displaying only very light stretch. The combination of the charismatic bezel insert, beautiful dial and sharp case makes this 1675 the perfect vintage GMT for daily wearing!

Introduction

Rolex GMT-MasterFasten your seatbelts for the story of the inimitable Rolex GMT-Master! As civil aviation took off after World War II, airlines began to fly over longer distances. As a result, pilots required accurate watches that could display multiple time zones simultaneously. In the early 1950s, Pan American Airways (Pan-Am) requested Rolex to develop a watch for this very purpose. The GMT-Master (‘GMT’ standing for ‘Greenwich Mean Time’) was introduced in 1954. It featured a 24-hour hand alongside the regular 12-hour hand. In combination with a bidirectional 24-hour bezel, this GMT hand could be used to read the home time zone while the 12-hour hand displayed the ‘local’ time.Despite its close links to aviation and its professional purpose, the Rolex GMT enjoys a fanbase far beyond the pilots it was originally intended for. Over the years Rolex has introduced many wonderful variations of the GMT: take your pick!Ref. 1675The ref. 1675 GMT-Master replaced the legendary ref. 6542 in 1959 and enjoyed an unusually long production run: over 20 years! The first 1675s received the well-known ‘pointed crown guards,’ which were replaced by regular rounded crown guards in 1964/1965. The dial of the 1675 also changed over time, starting with a glossy gilt chapter ring dial and ending with a matte radial dial (with significant variation in between, like the rare ‘exclamation mark,’ ‘underline’ and ‘Double-swiss’ dials).The 1675 was produced mostly in steel but was also available in 18k yellow gold or bicolor (steel and gold). The 1675 was the first Rolex ‘tool watch’ for which a factory-fitted jubilee bracelet was an option, starting in the early 1970s.‘Pepsi’ bezelThe red/ blue bezel inserts on steel GMTs are often referred to as ‘Pepsi bezels’ because people associate the color scheme with the famous soda company. However, the colors red and blue were actually taken from the Pan-Am logo and meant to indicate day (red) and night (blue). 

Specifications

Shipping

Packages are generally dispatched within 2 days after receipt of payment and are shipped within the Netherlands by Registered Mail through the Dutch carrier PostNL and for other countries by Fedex. Consult us if you prefer another method of shipping. For most destinations tracking is available.